New Years Reflections

December 30, 2016

2016… what a year!

This year has been weird, sad, busy, fun, amazing, difficult, and so much more. And, I am glad to see it go. Usually, I am pretty sad that the year is ending and I feel unprepared to start another year, but not this year. I am ready for 2017 and ready for what the next year will bring.

Some highlights from this past year:

our house was broken into (we are fine, nothing irreplaceable was stolen, and it could have been much, much worse)

we lost two of our four dogs (one got out and was run over by a car, the other was very sick and passed away, and I am still heart broken over it)

I started a new full-time job and quit all of my (four) part-time jobs

I went back to school and started taking classes to get my degree in Early Childhood Education (something I never thought I would be doing – going back to school, I mean, not teaching)

I visited the Baltic region of Europe (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, St. Petersburg!)

we welcomed two nephews and one niece into the family (lots of babies in my family right now)

my boyfriend, Derek, and I celebrated our 12th anniversary (woah!)

A lot of up’s and down’s this year, but overall, I have been so blessed, most especially by all of the amazing people I am lucky enough to have in my life. My family is growing (by the minute, it feels like), and my new job as a preschool teacher is going really well. Even my little side business has had a mini boom and – mini announcement – I’ll be creating a whole new Etsy store soon after the new year!!

It feels as though every year, little by little, my life is expanding and, hopefully, I’ll be able to continue expanding with it. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that have come my way simply by opening myself up and saying “Yes.” I wouldn’t have gotten my current job if I hadn’t said, “Yes, I’m interested, tell me more.” I wouldn’t be selling my custom Hogwarts robes if I hadn’t said, “Sure, I can make you one, too.” I am convinced that if I just say yes, everything else will work itself out (or it won’t, in which case it works out in another way eventually). Life is full of opportunity, just look for it and then say yes.

I set a goal for myself at the beginning of 2016 to move forward in the direction of a career (any career, honestly, just so long as there was some forward momentum). And now, at the close of the year, I have a full-time position that I love AND a side business that it slowly expanding and growing, and I couldn’t be busier and happier! And gaining just that slightest bit of momentum has set me off on a course that I know will lead to great things. Because I went for it – because I sent the cold email and then went for the interview and then got the job, because I put an ad on my blog and a contact form and then actually got orders, and because I opened myself up to opportunity and then said yes and then did the things – I know I am capable of even more. Because that’s all it takes, one step at a time, to accomplish something awesome. So, why not go for more awesomeness next year??

If there is any advice I could give you, it would be to say Yes. Even if it doesn’t feel like a big yes, you never know where that path might take you or what it might lead to. Say yes, and then keep saying yes. Say yes, and then follow through. Say yes, and then never give up, never stop saying yes, especially to yourself. You are worth it, and you can do it!

It doesn’t matter if you can’t see the entire road ahead, or if you have no idea exactly where you’re going or how you’re going to get there. Just say yes, and you’ll figure it out along the way. (At least, that’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s been working out pretty well so far!) It’s how I’ve taught myself web design (i.e. creating this entire website), and how I made my first Hogwarts robe, and how I made the next one and found a customer for the next one and the next one, and I think you get the idea.

I guess what I’m saying is this: if you could do one thing in 2017, whatever it may be, go do it! Go do that one thing that’s been hanging out in the back of your mind that you kinda sorta want to do, but have been too nervous/scared/insecure to do. I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times before, I know I had; but, really, just go for it! Because if you’re waiting for the right time, it doesn’t exist. There is no longer such a thing as job security, no more traditional path of laid out steps and climbing ladders to success. And I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, because all it really means is that now you have the freedom to do things right now, your way, rather than waiting around for someone to tell you it’s okay. Get started, and then get ready to work your booty off because nothing worthwhile is quick or easy. (But I know you can do it, anyway!)

Get ready 2017, because here we come!

And, finally, thank you, each and every one of you, for being here and reading my blog, even when the posts come sporadically, and especially when I wander off topic and share random posts like this one. :)